From Rooftop Bees to Sustainability Reporting: How Sudima Hotels Is Making an Impact with Bees

How a workplace beehive is helping Sudima Hotels connect sustainability, biodiversity and team engagement.

When Sudima Hotels approached Bees Up Top about getting a beehive, they were looking for a practical way to improve their sustainability efforts, engage their team and enjoy the perks of having their own honey — straight from the hive.

Since then, their rooftop hive has become a hands-on way for the team to connect with nature and learn more about the important role bees play in our environment.

A look inside the hive

As part of a routine hive check and workshop, the Sudima team headed up to the rooftop with their beekeeper and got suited up to take a closer look at their hive.

There was plenty happening. The colony was healthy, honey was being made and new bees were hatching.

For the team, it was an opportunity to experience their sustainability initiative first-hand and see what was happening right above their workplace.

From hive to honey

After checking the hive, we brought several honey frames back to the Sudima workspace for one of our hive extraction workshops.

Everyone had a turn extracting honey directly from their own hive while learning about bees, pollination and their impact on the environment.

It's a great sustainable team-building activity, bringing people together around something that's both educational and hands-on.

And then came the best part — everyone got to pour their own jar of honey to take home.

Sudima added their own custom labels, which looked fantastic. Small jars of their own honey also make a great gift for staff, customers and clients, giving them something unique that connects directly back to the hotel's sustainability initiative.

What can a hive tell you about biodiversity?

A workplace beehive can provide more than honey. It can also offer an interesting insight into the environment surrounding your business.

We recently carried out a pollen test on honey from Sudima's hive near Auckland Airport. The results showed that approximately 65% of the pollen in their honey came from local gorse.

For businesses, this type of information can help bring sustainability initiatives to life, provide interesting data for sustainability reporting, and create a stronger connection between a workplace and its local environment.

The surprising role of gorse

Gorse is considered an invasive plant in New Zealand, but its bright yellow flowers can provide an important food source for honey bees when flowering.

Sudima's results gave the team a unique insight into how their bees were using the surrounding landscape — and how the local environment was contributing to the honey being produced on their rooftop.

Sustainability you can experience

For businesses working towards B Corp certification, improving employee engagement or looking for practical sustainability initiatives, a workplace beehive offers something different.

It's a visible, ongoing initiative that brings together people, planet and workplace culture.

Employees can meet the beekeeper, visit the hive, learn about pollination, take part in honey extraction workshops and enjoy honey produced by the bees living on their own roof.

And for Sudima, this has become just one of many great team-building days we've brought together over bees.

Their hive provides a tangible way for the team to engage with sustainability — not just talk about it.

Bring bees to your workplace

Looking for a workplace beehive rental or a hands-on sustainability initiative for your business?

Bees Up Top provides managed corporate beehive rentals, hive maintenance, beekeeper visits, team workshops and honey extraction experiences.

Bring your sustainability goals to life — one hive at a time.